When I do my holiday research, I like to find food tips in other cities that are “local favourites”, rather than “tourist must-try'”. That’s why I decided to publish a Guide like this for Sydney – the city that I have lived and loved for the past ten years.

This Guide is dedicated to people looking for good and cheap eats in Sydney (mostly in the CBD), nothing fancy. This post is not sponsored and the content reflects my honest and humble opinion of the Sydney food that I have tried and often have cravings for.

How to read this Guide:

Restaurants are grouped by cuisine, in alphabetical order, except for coffee, dessert and bars which are listed at the end.

Scroll to the end for an interactive Google Map with all the restaurants pinned.

♥ Chef’s Gallery (where: Sydney near Townhall & various)

Pro tips

I like: “Handmade egg and spinach tofu”.

My experience at Chef’s Gallery varied from good to mediocre.

People like to compare Chef’s Gallery with Ding Tai Fung because rumour has it that Chef’s Gallery was opened by Din Tai Fung‘s ex-chef/s. I’m not going to write about Din Tai Fund as I can eat Din Tai Fung to my heart’s content (at a fraction of the price) when I go back to Taiwan so I rarely have Din Tai Fung in Sydney.

♥ Sushi Suma (where: Surry Hills)

Click [here] for my full review on Sushi Suma.
Click [here] for my full review on Suzuya.

.

– Japanese Ramen –

I have grouped Japanese ramen in a category of its own because I don’t really have a favourite ramen place. Most ramen joints in Sydney are fairly decent. Here is a list of the places that my friends and I frequent.

♥ Gumshara (where: Chinatown)

Pro tips

Small shop in Chinatown’s food court with super thick soup base. I find it too thick for my liking, but it is a lot of people’s favourite ramen in Sydney. The servings are massive.

♥ Ippudo (where: Sydney near Townhall & various)

Pro tips:

I thought about whether to include Ippudo in this Guide as this is an international chain. However, a Japanese friend of mine loves it here and it doesn’t feel right to exclude it when it comes to ramen in Sydney.

Prices are on the expensive end, especially considering the small servings.

♥ Yasaka Ramen (where: Sydney near Townhall)

Click [here] for the offical website of Yasaka. Click [here] for my full review on Yasaka.

♥ Ichiban Boshi (where: Sydney near Townhall)

Pro tips

Ichiban Boshi was one of the first ramen restaurants in Sydney. I used to come here all the time during my University years. However, I stopped coming because of the long queue. Also, Sydney’s ramen game has grown from strength to strength over the years so Ichiban Boshi has somewhat lost its shine.

Gelatissimo is another successful gelato chain in Sydney. It offers the more traditional fare.

Click [here] for my full review on Cow and The Moon.
Click [here] for official website of Gelato Messina.
Click [here] for official Facebook page of Good Times Artisan Ice Cream.
Click [here] for official website of Gelatissimo.

– Coffee –

Sydney’s cafe and coffee scene has seen strong growths over recent years – I dare say we are as good as Melbourne in the coffee game now. Here is a list of the places that I have heard good beans about.

♥ Campos (where: Newtown & various)

Pro tips

Campos has its own cafe in Newtown. Many cafes across Sydney (and in fact all over Australia) use Campos’ coffee.